SWOPblogger

The school of life
Cedric Edwards' path to becoming a doctor took a few unexpected turns
By Mike Rosen-Molina
SACRAMENTO NEWS & REVIEW
October 27, 2005

http://www.newsreview.com/issues/sacto/2005-10-27/news2.asp


(Photo) Cedric Edwards with his degree from the Latin American School of Medicine in Havana, Cuba. Cedric Edwards can be contacted at cedricedwards@hotmail.com.


For Cedric Edwards, the best and worst days of his life were only one day apart.

In September, Edwards, 34, became the first U.S. citizen to graduate from the Latin American School of Medicine, or ELAM, in Cuba. But on the Monday after graduation, Hurricane Katrina tore through Edwards' hometown of Slidell, La., leaving his house under water and his family homeless. Today he's living out of a suitcase in Sacramento, struggling to get by.

"Graduating medical school was probably the highest point of my life," he said. "To come from someplace so high and fall so low was just unreal. It was shocking."

Living through hurricanes in Cuba and then watching Katrina destroy his hometown, Edwards has seen the best and worst of both countries, and it's taught him to keep an open mind.

Wearing a New Orleans Saints cap, Edwards is a serious young African-American man, with a passion for chess, opera and the violin. Reading untranslated Spanish medical texts for six years has given him a tendency to sometimes lapse into Spanish, but he still speaks with a thick Southern accent and feels a deep connection to his hometown.

"This was my community," he said. "And I just kept seeing these images on television, images of poor black people on roofs, going days without food or water. It was as if the government had abandoned them. To have people left for days like this was unacceptable."

When Katrina hit, Edwards was stuck in Havana. He sat glued to reports coming over the television, not knowing whether his own family was alive or dead.

"I was especially worried about my brother," said Edwards, who was inspired to go into medicine after his brother was paralyzed from the neck down in a high-school football accident. "I felt so helpless thinking he might be in danger. When you see all this suffering, but you can't do anything, it's a terrifying, deeply depressing experience."

A week passed before Edwards finally found out that his family was alive, living in a hotel.

Slidell was a quiet small town, half an hour from New Orleans, specializing in ecotourism and antique shops. He was scared to death as he left for Cuba, his friends and relatives warning him of crime, poverty and violence.

But he said his decision to attend ELAM was a practical one. Growing up in a poor community, Edwards wanted to find a way to give back, and going to ELAM was the only way to achieve his dream without amassing huge educational debts.

His first weeks in Havana were difficult. He didn't speak any Spanish; the school Internet connection was always down, so he couldn't talk to his family; and the summer was heavy with mosquitoes. But Cuba seemed a far cry from the desperate slum he'd imagined, and he came to admire the country's commitment to training doctors and providing universal health care for all citizens.

At ELAM (established in 1999), medical students from all over the world, including Africa, South America and the United States, receive free tuition, free room and board and a monthly stipend, courtesy of the Cuban government, in the hope that they will use their free education to serve poor communities in their home countries.

Cuba is not a wealthy country. Its hospitals and clinics are a far cry from the high-tech wonders of American medical facilities. But ELAM is listed as an accredited school in the International Medical Education Directory, and its students are eligible to take the U.S. medical-board exam and practice in the United States. Eighty U.S. citizens currently are studying at ELAM.

Like almost everything involving this island nation, the school is surrounded by controversy. Some praise it as an example of Cuba's commitment to international altruism, while others see it as a cynical political move meant to bolster the country's reputation.

"[Students'] stories about the ideal Cuba they experienced brings sympathizers into Castro's sphere of influence," wrote Agustin Blazquez, a Washington-based documentary filmmaker of Cuba: The Pearl of the Antilles, on the Web site NoCastro.com.

But Sacramento resident William Bronston, who has traveled to Cuba and toured ELAM, said the program is more than PR. "Cuba is dedicated to training people to become the finest physicians, because of an explicit and purposeful commitment to serve and elevate the human experience, not as a propaganda tool."

For his part, Edwards is uninterested in political hand-wringing. "I can't say that the program isn't political, because everything's political," said Edwards. "But whatever the purpose behind it, the end result is that it does a lot of good for a lot of countries. Regardless of a person's politics, I think there are certain aspects of the Cuban health-care system which could be adopted here to make things better for everyone."

Because he couldn't return to Slidell after graduation, Edwards has been living with a friend in Sacramento with nothing but a single suitcase. He wants to apply for a residency in the coming year, but first he has to pass the licensing exam, a challenge when he doesn't have money for preparation courses or exam registration.

In the meantime, he's hoping to find a sponsor and scrambling to make money any way he can, working as a church janitor during the day while cramming at night. He cuts grass, takes out the garbage and sweeps the floors, all the while looking forward to the day that he can put his medical training to use.

Price Gouging, Wars for Oil: Good for Profits

karlos says: What a surprise.

elmolestoso forwarded this bit of obvious news...

Exxon Posts Record Profits, Sales
By MARK GONGLOFF

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL ONLINE
October 27, 2005 -- 1:15 p.m. EDT

Exxon Mobil, the world's biggest oil company, reported a jaw-dropping third-quarter profit of $9.92 billion, up 75% from a year ago and a record for a U.S. company, on revenue of $100.72 billion, also a record. If Exxon were a country and revenue were its gross domestic product, its $404 billion in annualized GDP would make it the 18th-most-productive country in the world, with a bigger economy than Switzerland. Its quarterly revenue was more than the latest quarterly revenue of fellow Dow components Alcoa, American Express, Boeing, Caterpillar, DuPont, Walt Disney, Home Depot, Honeywell, Coca-Cola and McDonald's combined. High oil prices helped Exxon, as they helped ConocoPhillips, which reported an 89% jump in profits yesterday, and Royal Dutch/Shell, which reported its highest quarterly profit ever, $9.03 billion, up 68% from a year ago. The sad news for Exxon was that its earnings excluding one-time items fell shy of Wall Street estimates. But its shares didn't fall very far; there was grumbling that the company might have poor-mouthed its earnings in order to avoid a political backlash.

exxon
wall street
profit
profits
shares
stock market
stocks

Save the Dates!
November, December (and January) @ SWOP:

• Sunday November 6, 2005, 4pm to 7pm, in the South Valley – Dia De Los Muertos Parade – Call Victoria (247 8832) if you want to volunteer or to participate in the parade. We’re making an altar and a float, so please don’t hesitate to help out J (This event sponsored by La Raza Unida)
• On Tuesday November 15, 2005 at 7pm – SWOP will be hosting a screening of Robert Greenwald’s new film, WalMart: The High Cost of Low Price. See the trailer! Please join us at the SWOP office (211 10^th Street SW) to learn about how much that cheap TV really costs. RSVP – There’s space for about 30! [We will also show parts of Audioslave’s Concert from Havana, Cuba]

• Saturday November 19, 2005 – SWOP Membership Meeting – Time and place TBA. For more info: 247 8832
• Saturday December 3, 2005 – Holiday Happy Hour @ SWOP office.
• Saturday January 21, 2005 – SWOP25 Anniversary Dinner, Dance and Historical Retrospective

Look out for these important events from allies…

• November 10, 2005, 9am. ABQ Raging Grannies support rally at recruitment office to respond to Sally Alice’s letter from the USMC inviting her to enlist. The Raging Grannies say they’re “always ready to serve our country…But we don’t want our Children, or our grandchildren, or any young people to give their lives in wars of aggression.”
• Novermber 20, 2005 – March to Give Homage to Petroglyphs. More details to come. Contact SAGE Council at 505-260-4696.

In solidarity,

Karlos Schmieder
Communications Organizer
SouthWest Organizing Project
karlos@swop.net
http://www.swop.net.blog.htm

SWOP - Celebrating 25 years Empowering Communities and Fighting Injustice.

Yesterday marked the 2,000th death of US soldiers in Iraq. In this time of mourning, let's not forget the tens of thousands of Iraqi innocents who have died. Both sides' children die.

(Artwork by Rini Templeton)

Iraq
Iraq war
soldiers
bush
Military

karlos says:

At my alma mater no less...

Tomorrow morning at Duranes Elementary, Norma Garza, senior policy advisor US Dept. of Education, will present Ramona Corona, a first grade math and reading teacher at the school, with the "American Star of Teaching" award. The star award will be given to a teacher in each state and the District of Columbia this fall.

The press release for the media event says Duranes Elementary has seen a "significant increase" in reading scores and has pulled itself from a school in "need of improvement" to "adequate yearly progress" (AYP) over the last two years.

Expect local news outlets to be gushing over the story tomorrow, even though NM students still lag behind national average in almost every indicator.

My advice to Ramona: Give back the award. Tell Bush he's leaving children behind!

Numbers missing from the Dept of education's press release:

49% of NM's fourth graders and 38% of eighth graders are below basic achievement scores in math and reading, compared to 29% nationally.

62% of NM 8th graders read at a "basic" level in 2005, compared to %70 percent in 1998.

Only California and Mississippi have a higher percentage of children below basic achievement levels.

*Go to the National Assessment in Educational Progress website to get the complete numbers.

NCLB
NO Child Left Behind
education
new mexico

Green Chile Stew Cook Off

1st place - Maria Magdalena Jaramillo (Green Chile Chicken Soup)
2nd place - Bineshi Albert (Wild Buffalo Stew w/ Green Chile)
3rd place - Las Hermanas Chavez (Blue Corn Posole w/ Green Chile)

See the Journal's write up...

cook-off
green chile
food
organic food
chili

SWOP has accepted an invitation to take part in an Environmental Justice working tour through devasted gulf coast communities. SWOP's sister organization Southwest Workers Union (SWU) is a Co-Convener of the tour, along with Project South, Louisiana Environmental Action Network (LEAN) and Grassroots Global Justice Alliance.

Tour dates are November 2 - 5, 2005, with the tour starting in Jackson, Mississippi. The 4-day tour will include visits to LEAN, United Houma Nation and other grassroots organizations and delivery of needed money, supplies and volunteer hours. The tour will also include local tribunals, a day-long strategy session and a work brigade. Vans will be used to transport delegates and work brigades to sites in the area.

"Like many folks we were asking ourselves: What can we do?" says Genaro Lopez, SWU's co-director. "We wanted this to be about movement building, unconditional solidarity with people in the gulf coast, and to make real connections with local people and local struggles to make sure this never happens again."

What can you do?

• Participate in the Tour - call SWOP at 505 247 8832. (ASAP as airfare is getting more and more expensive by the day.)
  
• A "Gulf Coast Tour Fund" has been set up for monetary donations
  
• Relief can be sent to:
  Centro por la Justicia
  1414 E. Commerce
  San Antonio, TX 78205
  For specific arrangements or questions please contact:
  Jill Johnston (jillj@igc.org) or Genaro Rendon (Genaro@igc.org) at 210.299.2666,
  Or call SWOP at 505 247 8832 if you are here in NM.
  
• Also accepting supplies, materials and any sort of communications infrastructure (work gloves, computers, tools, etc.)
• There will be a work brigade during a visit to United Houma Nation, so folks who go should be prepared with work clothes...

"We also want to make working connections between the South and Southwest, Latinos and African Americans," added Lopez. "We share such a similar reality even though our physical surroundings may be different. This is definitely about race and class, and we think SWOP can make an important contribution to linking the struggles of folks, for example, in Pajarito Mesa and those in the gulf coast."

Pajarito Mesa, on Albuquerque's SW Mesa, is home to hundreds of families who have organized for basic services and infrastructure in their community for over a decade. The area was given emergency status three years ago when the USDA Rural Utilities Services agreed to grant the community's Mutual Domestic Water Consumers Association some emergency funds to construct a well as a temporary solution (Phase I) to the lack of water services in the community.

"It is only supposed to be an emergency solution," says Sandra Montes, Pajarito Mesa Mutual Domestic Water Consumers Association President and SWOP organizer. "We have a commitment for another phase to include water storage tanks and solar panels for members of the association."

For an emergency, the going has been slow. And there has been plenty of finger-pointing (and red tape) to go around.

"We'll take the blame if it means the well can be drilled tomorrow," says Montes.

Folks from the Mesa will be on the tour, and hope to make connections and share strategies with people in the gulf who are looking to make changes that result in better living conditions. SWOP delegates will also present proceeds, donations from the 25th anniversary concert, as well as supplies and materials people may want to donate.

"The images social injustice and environmental racism in the news following the hurricanes down there hit home," says Montes. "We understand people have to be organized and work together, especially during tough times. Our message will be one of solidarity, a commitment to work together in the future, and maybe most importantly, a message of hope."

*Logistical info - from SWU - 210 299 2666.

TRAVEL:

Please fly into Jackson, Mississippi by 5pm on Wednesday November 2^nd and arrange your flight to leave from Jackson on Sunday November 6^th (at any time)

Please send your itinerary to jillj@igc.org

During the site visits, we will be traveling in 15-passenger vans (3).

HOTEL:

People can stay with the delegation in a hotel from Nov 2^nd – Nov 6^th. Most rooms may be covered, but please contact us. We will be confirming the hotel this weekend and will send out the information soon.

On Thursday November 3^rd we will be hosted by the Little Rock Missionary Baptist Church & the St. James Baptist Church in Gulfport, Mississippi. There will only be a small space on the vans for luggage, so please have a small bag for this night. Please bring a blow-up mattress or sleeping bag. If you need one to be provided, please email Genaro@igc.org

WORK BRIGADE:

There is plenty of work that needs to be done at each site (Gulfport, New Orleans, Houma Nation) such as construction, cleaning, etc. Please bring work clothes and if possible supplies (gloves, masks, boots, etc.)

FOOD:

The majority of the food is being coordinated by local organizations. There will be snacks and drinks in the vans. If you have any very serious diet needs, please email Genaro@igc.org

RELIEF & SUPPLIES:

We are asking that each organization participating on the tour (not from the Gulf Coast area) bring a donation to be distributed between the local sites (suggested $250-$1000) and/or supplies. The tour includes housing, food and local transportation. Please let us know your contribution, Genaro@igc.org

contact info for SWU:

Genaro L. Rendon
PO Box 830706
San Antonio, TX 78283
210.299.2666 fx. 210.299.4009
genaro@igc.org

Technorati Tags:
katrina
gulf coast
tour
social justice
economic justice
gulf coast solidarity
solidarity
kanye west
FEMA

Social Justice: The absence of a class system; the realization racial and gender equality, basic human dignity and rights and freedom of thought through individual and collective action.

*Social Justice manifests through community organizing – bringing the talents, resources and skills of a community together to increase collective power to transform ourselves and our community to realize our potential.

Organizing for Social Justice involves building relationships and consolidating perspectives, thoughts and ideas into a common, attainable vision.

social justice
economic justice
racial equality
gender equality
race and class
definitions

karlos says: I recently wrote an open letter to Mayor Marty. My dog also wanted to write one to Dukes, the Mayor's famous dog:

Dear Dukes,

I receieved your endorsement of your master in the mail. By the way you spelled my name wrong (It's Bogie, not boogie - boogie's are what come out of your nose), and, oh yeah, I've been dead for 5 years. I'm writing this letter posthumously in the hope that you never again bring your dog brothers and sisters into the human's dirty political process. Actually, the rest of us could care less what our master's politics are. I'm insulted to be used for political propaganda, and you should be too.

As "man's best friend," I understand it's hard to bite the hand that feeds you, but if you could - for the sake of our species' moral authority - give him a good nibble for having the nerve to drag us into his campaign.

Yours,

Bogie Schmieder

Billed as a special session to give New Mexicans relief from soaring energy prices, NM's Dems and Republicans (mostly from the Senate) use the time to accelerate the Guv's already-enacted tax break for the rich.

According to this morning's Journal, "$108.8 million to accelerate already-enacted state income tax reductions for filers in the highest income tax bracket from 6 percent to 5.7 percent in the 2005 tax year and from 5.8 percent to 5.3 percent in the 2006 tax year" was built into the $254 million package

That's right folks. Almost half of the entire package.

High energy costs for working families? NM legislators know the answer: Tax Cuts for the Rich. 'Yeah, yeah, that's the ticket. If we give a tax cut to the wealthiest New Mexicans, the rest of us will be warmer this winter.'

"I think we've insulated the taxpayers of the state of New Mexico now against the cold of winter," said Sen. Leonard Tsosie, D-Shiprock to the Journal.

I highly doubt Richardson, running for Prez, will veto the tax reduction line item, though he has suggested to the Journal he wouldn't hesitate to "veto provisions that are reckless, or that we cannot afford." I don't know if they'd have him back on Hannity and Colmes if he decided that tax cuts for the rich wouldn't help the rest of us at the pump.

All in all, this special session was yet another example of patron politics here in New Mexico. Crumbs for the majority, steak for the few.

Chile Harvest Fiesta time!

Check the Journal's write up...
(username=free, password=free)

Saturday October 15 from 1-4 pm at Washington Park (10th and Central - block south of Central).

Chile Roasting, Chile Stew Cook-off, Music, Dance, Family and Children's Activities, and much more.

Solidarity with farmworkers, farmers and community!

$5 donation requested to be a judge for the Chile Stew cook-off. There are contestants from around the state. If you want to be a contestant, want to reserve your sack of roasted green chile, or just want more info call SWOP at 505 247 8832.

karlos says: Posted a link to Mos Def's Katrina Clap a while back. In the song he asks: "Where the f--k is sir Bono and his famous friends now?"

Well, now we know...

Bono, U2 in Fundraiser for Senator Rick Santorum

newsmax.com
Oct. 10, 2005 1:10 p.m. EDT

On Sunday, October 16, a truly unique political event will take place. Teaming up with the legendary rock group U2 for a one-night only appearance will be Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Penn.). The thousand-dollar-a-seat concert has been put together by Sean and Ana Wolfington and will take place at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia in support of Santorum’s re-election, reports NewsMax's James Hirsen.

U2 front man Bono is no stranger to Washington, D.C. He has come often to the nation’s capital to network with politicians on behalf of his many causes. Santorum met Bono earlier this year, having been introduced by John Kasich, the former Congressman from Ohio and host of Fox News Channel’s "Heartland.”

So what does the Irish rocker have in common with the conservative senator? As in the case of Santorum, Bono’s religious convictions inform his activities.

The U2 leader shared some of his faith perspectives with the author of the book "Bono in Conversation.” He said, "It’s a mind-blowing concept that the God who created the universe might be looking for company, a real relationship with people.”

Santorum told "Christianity Today” that "faith is a source of morality; it’s a source of virtue; it’s a source of reason. It’s a tremendous influence on my worldview.”

( Somewhat related, see the NY Times Mag feature on Bono from September 15 at http://www.u2neophobia.com/articles/presse_article_ext.php?id_article=599 )

bono
U2
mos def
Rick Santorum
katrina

Bottom: Credit, Southwest Workers Union.
Top: Credit, Hector Dayer/El Diario, El Paso Texas.

karlos says: The Journal shows its colors yet again. The media-made "Minutemen" (and their 12 guys with binoculars) get story upon story to spout their racist agenda, yet thousands protesting vigilantes simultaneously across all border states on both sides of the border don't get a single line or photo. What's up with that?

from louis:

Tonight on Salsa Sabrosa we will have as special guest New Mexico's own trumpeter extraordinaire Tony Luján talking about his music, life and times.

*Plus Pancho Quiñones in the house for the first time in a long time, with lots of new music from Maraca, Mayito Rivera, Adalberto Alvarez, Issac Delgado and more.

That's all tonight, Friday, October 7 on Salsa Sabrosa - 7:00pm Mountain Time (9:00 EDT and 6:00 PDT) on KUNM-FM 89.9 FM Albuquerque and Santa Fe, 91.1 FM in Arroyo Seco, Cuba and Cimarron/Eagle Nest, and 91.9 FM Taos, Las Vegas, Socorro and Nageezi. Those outside northern and central New Mexico can catch it online at http://www.kunm.org/.

Sunland Park, NM - A "Rally for Social Justice" and against the Minutmen will be held at Elena Memorial Park in Sunland Park on Saturday October 8. From 10 am to 12 noon there's a scheduled rally and declaration. From noon to 1 pm there's schueduled lunch and entertainment. And from 1 pm to 2:3o there will be a march. This rally is sponsored by El Congreso Regional de las Colonias, COREF and other border organizations and groups fro mChihuahua, Texas and New Mexico. For more info contact: Diana Bustamante and Veronica Carmona 505 647 2744 and Daniel Solis 915 585 8829.

El Paso/Juarez - The Southwest Network for Environmental and Econmic Justice, a bi-natinoal network of organizations like SWOP, will hold their annual Unidos Sin Fronteras action in four bi-national corridors, including El Paso/Juarez, on Saturday as well. There are vans leaving from the SNEEJ office in downtown ABQ at 6 am. Call SNEEJ at 505 242 0416 for more info or if you want a space on the vans. Two vans will be filled with SWOP folk, and we will be stopping at both protests. *SNEEJ is recommending that people who participate have their ID/Driver's License on them at all times. Cell phones will be on tomorrow: call Bianca at 505 400 9201, Tomas at 505 301 6671 or Cipriana in Juarez at 011 52 65561998413.

6 am - leave SW network office (804 Park SW) to El Paso.
10:30 am - arrive at border agricultural workers center (201 E 9th Ave) 915 532 0921
11:30 am - welcome and rally
12 am - March to Santa Fe International Bridge - 6 speakers, Vigilante Pinata, Release Baloons, women in Juarez cross, March to park
2 pm - Food, Music and "Border reality talking circle" at park
4 pm - close
5:30, 6 pm - leave back for ABQ

karlos says: Thougt I'd add some new links from BlahgLandia to the SWOPblogger since I had a chance to look around this evening. Never get a chance to do that... In no particular order.


http://coyotesbark.blogspot.com/
- has some things to say.

http://tequilaexpress.blogspot.com/ - a voice in the wilderness
- interesting blog with lots to say.

http://www.marioburgos.com/
- blogs about dems mostly. Not a hack.

http://alisavaldesrodriguez.blogspot.com/
- not too political. funny, interesting none the less.

http://cuerpoaztlan.blogspot.com/
- health and sprituality for activists...

http://maggietoulouse.blogspot.com/
- speaks her mind.

http://www.gregnburton.com/
- more lib writing. well written.

http://onlyinnewmexico.blogspot.com/
- Jim Baca's blog. I helped organize a protest against him once. Don't know if he's ever quite forgiven us. Hope so. He writes well, and is an important voice.

http://www.gregpayne.com
- just in case folks want to hear what the reactionaries are up to...

Mr. Chavez.

So I suppose you’re pretty self-satisfied about now. But it won’t last long, bro. Remember all those promises you made to your contributors? They’ll be calling to cash in soon. So while you may have 'political capital', you also have a large political debt to pay to your contributors. And we’ll be watching for any cronyism, favors to your contributors or any use of the mayor’s office for shenanigans. That’s right. We know who you represent. So don’t even try it.

Damn, you really put your colita out there for sale, no? Over a $1 million dollars? You sold our city to the highest bidders.

I can’t believe a local boy would tacitly go along with defeating a simple minimum wage hike. You know wages are the NUMBER 1 complaint around here. Your backers didn’t want it so you helped spread pro-low-wage-propaganda. For someone who supposedly represents working class people, that should spell the end of your career. You should be ashamed of yourself for going against your neighbors. You know we all need a raise.

But you’re pretty good at campaigning, if nothing else. And you know how to fool some of the people, some of the time.

But you can’t fool us all.

We know that you’ve been the West Side’s longest running politician. You were a state senator on the West Side and you’ve been Mayor for 8 years and just elected to serve 4 more. And the West Side still lacks infrastructure, has no vision (except for subdivisions out in the desert) and still, every day, the traffic has become worse. What have you accomplished Mr. Gets-Things-Done? Really. The problems have only gotten worse under your leadership.

You’d like to have folks believe that Native Americans and community groups who are opposed to the road through the petroglyphs are against WestSiders, when it’s actually your developer friends. We know you opposed the Planned Growth Strategy and did everything in your power to water it down. Bro, we know who gives you money. It’s on the internet for crying out loud.

You’d like to have folks believe you care about working class folks in the city, but you support every tax break for every rich company with their hand out. You know who foots the bill when the Intels, Philips, TemperPedics and Eclipses don’t pay taxes. We do. Our children do. Our schools do. And we know we don’t get the jobs, so don’t even try that argument. And it’s not about jobs anyway – jobs are the least valued part of the equation. It’s about transfer of wealth from tax payers (us) to wealth (who you represent.)

And if you keep harping on the fact that Forbes ranked us high for places to do business, you just make it harder for wages to rise. You know anyone working here in Albuquerque can go pretty much anywhere else with a similar cost of living and get paid much more for the same job? Forbes ranked us high because our wages are so low. Nothing to be proud of. When we get ranked high for education, skilled workers, good wages and transportation, then you can brag.

And don’t think we’ve forgotten about all your, well let’s just say, troubles with ethics. I hear you can indict someone by petition. That could just be an option for those folks who are sticklers for rules.

Now you say you want a better relationship with APS. Forgive me for saying it, but I don’t think two wrongs make a right. Your administration plus APS equals trouble. Leave our schools to community groups, parents and tax payers.

And Marty, it’s ok to party. Enough of the fascist party patrol, curfews and anti-youth and anti-family policies. Let people breath. Use the cops for real crimes - not ticket quotas, breaking up Quinceañeras and criminalizing young people.

So I hope your proud of yourself Marty. The city’s still a low wage city. Make you happy? Or just your contributors? You have a friendly council, I suppose, but just don’t act like yourself or you’ll alienate them soon.

As for folks who can see through your act, we’re going to keep working to look out for our interests, values and needs and organize for a better Albuquerque and against you and your contributors’ agenda.

Yours,

Karlos Schmieder
Communications organizer
SouthWest Organizing Project

karlos@swop.net
http://www.swop.net/blog.htm
505 247 8832

Richard Moore, a co-founder of SWOP, is a 2005 Ford Foundation Leadership for A Changing World awardee.

There's a profile on leadershipforchange.org.

Congratulations, Richard!

Many folks should feel good about this and share in the glory :)

The award should be seen as props for tons of movement folks from all over the state and region. You know who you are.

I’ll skip any “monday morning quarterbacking” of the very disappointing losses in our city election last night because so many good people gave everything they could to organizing our community in preparation for yesterday’s election.

And despite the very empty feeling that so many of us woke up with this morning, there are a few heartening upshots to it all; the most encouraging one being the resounding success of the Open and Ethical Election Code passed resoundingly.

Beginning in October of 2007, local candidates that can prove their broad grassroots support by obtaining $5.00 donations from 1% of the registered voters in their district or citywide for Mayoral candidates will be provided $1.00 for each registered voter in their district (granted that they forgo private fundraising).

That breaks down to $281,734 for a Mayoral campaign and the following registration numbers that exist in the Council districts around town.

District One – 26,425 registered voters
District Two – 30,780 registered voters
District Three – 28,483 registered voters
District Four – 33,957 registered voters
District Five – 36,074 registered voters
District Six – 27,028 registered voters
District Seven – 34,517 registered voters
District Eight – 36,156 registered voters
District Nine – 28,951 registered voters

Simply move the decimal points two spaces to the left to see how many five-dollar contributions will be required for each seat. In addition, if other candidates decide not to participate and raises more money privately, publicly financed candidates can be appropriated up to twice the amount originally distributed.

At the end of the day, a candidate participating in the open and ethical elections policy (after collecting 362 five dollar donations), say in District Eight, could be afforded up to $72,312 to conduct their campaign there.

...without owing many favors afterward to large campaign donors.

As for the living wage initiative's result, I’m heartbroken and speechless. The turnout was grossly low (fewer than one out of every three eligible voters voted); endemic of a much deeper political/economic structural struggle that continues to punish our community.

The message of one song comes to mind for the deceptive big money interests that defeated the living wage:

SYSTEM OF A DOWN - Toxicity
Conversion, software version 7.0.
Looking at life through the eyes of a tired hub
Eating seeds as a pastime activity;
the toxicity of our city, of our city.
New, what do you own the world?
How do you own disorder, disorder?
Now somewhere between the sacred silence, sacred silence and sleep. Somewhere, between the sacred silence and sleep; disorder, disorder, disorder!
More wood for the fires, loud neighbours.
Flashlight reveries caught in the headlights of a truck.
Eating seeds as a pastime activity;
the toxicity of our city, of our city.
New, what do you own the world?
How do you own disorder, disorder?
Now somewhere between the sacred silence, sacred silence and sleep. Somewhere between the sacred silence and sleep.
Disorder, disorder, disorder.
New, what do you own the world?
How do you own disorder, disorder?
New somewhere between the sacred silence sacred silence and sleep. Somewhere, between the sacred silence and sleep,
disorder, disorder, disorder.
When I became the sun I shone life into the man's hearts
When I became the sun I shone life into the man's hearts

Long live the good hearts of those who gave so much to such worthy causes for our community!.

La Lucha Continua!

Our Get-Out-The-Vote effort here at SWOP went well, and our folks made it to the polls. It's hard not to feel depressed, though, as low wage proponents bought at least 10 percentage points with a really deceptive, diabolical media campaign against the minimum wage hike.

We should all feel good about voters approving the Open and Ethical Elections code, which SWOP also endorsed.

In hindsight, sure the wage proposal might have passed had an accountability clause not been put into the proposal.

But working people shouldn't be divided by such talk.

*head on over to m-pyre for their thoughts.

We'll post more later.

Thanks to all our members, supports and friends who went out to vote yesterday. Now more than ever communities need alternative institutions where working people can have a voice to impact decisions that affect our lives - decisions increasingly made by special interests, corporate interests and, in New Mexico in particular, patron politicians. Support your favorite local community group today!

call SWOP at 505 247 8832 to donate right now.

DukeCityUndaCover, one of our newest contributors is slated to post something to the blog today. Keep an eye out. She/He (?) should have analyis too.

karlos says:

Robby and I hit the doors of unlikely voters of the Los Duranes neighborhood this morning to remind folks to get out and vote. When the polls opened, we went and voted (for the minimum wage and the open and clean elections code) and saw a gentlemen walking up with our doorhanger in his hand.

Ah, to see the fruits of your labor!

We were also interviewed by KOAT. Keep an eye out.

There's also always the chance to volunteer down at the SWOP office to make calls.

Contact Victoria at 505 247 8832

Check out KUNM 89.9 TONIGHT, Monday, October 3rd, from 8:00PM to 8:30PM for "Espejos de Aztlan," a weekly radio program highlighting the courage, strength and beauty of the Chicano/Latino community in New Mexico. Javier Benavidez (pic) will be interviewing three local community organizers who have been working tirelessly on various issues that are up for vote on tomorrow's city-wide election ballot.

Answering the question "what's at stake for our community in tomorrow's election" will be Dr. Teresa Brito-Asenap, a leader with Albuquerque Interfaith, Rey Garduno, an activist in the Clean and Open Elections campaign and Danny Rivera, a union organizer from the Albuquerque Living Wage Coalition.

Espejos has been on-air since 1979 and is part of the Raices Colectiva which conducts programming on news, culture and music from a Latino perspective on KUNM 89.9.

karlos says:

I know, I know. The last post was a bit negative. Readers have set me straight. I was only trying to be funny. Admit it, it was funny.

Tomorrow is shaping up to be an historic day here in Albuquerque. Many local organizations and coalitions have put lots of effort into increasing tomorrow's turn out, particularly amongst working communities and unlikely voters.

Native American Voting Alliance - SAGE, SWOP, the Living Wage Coalition, and many others have folks on the doors and phones as we speak. And Sunday's Journal poll may have low wage proponents and big money feeling a bit too comfortable. The number crunchers assure us we're doing really well.

There are real choices in this election.

Vote YES! for Albuquerque. Say NO to a low-wage economy and special interests buying democracy.

*You know, democracy in the US has taken a few hits during this century. None greater than the tragic response to hurricanes in the gulf coast. We saw the disenfranchised - those without the resources to evacuate or representation from elected officials - left to die in a preventable, predictable disaster. Now more than ever working communities need to get out and vote and engage ABQ's friendly local community groups.

Voting is only a beginning to building power so working communties can have a voice to impact decisions that affect our lives - decisions increasingly made by special interests, corporate interests, and in New Mexico in particular, patron politicians.

Every time Marty Chavez takes credit for something - take a drink

Every time Marty Chavez passes the buck for something negative - take a drink

Every time the Eric Griego says "ordinary Albuquerqueans" - take a drink

Every time you fail to understand one of David Steele's answers - take a drink

Every time you see Brad Winter with that deer in the headlights look in his eye - take a drink.

We may as well get really drunk, rather than depressed.

elections
democracy
drinking games
albuquerque
debate

$206,048 - That's a lot to spend against a $2 wage hike! Get out and vote against undermining democracy with deceptive ads!

living wage
minimum wage
workers rights
labor
albuquerque
social justice
economic justice
democracy

Minuteman Project starts "patrolling" in New Mexico today. If history's any indication, they'll only be here a minute. They really are just a media front group, spreading their racist, backwards agenda. There are real threats to people's safety though, and it's necessary to confront them.

• If you are interested in volunteering to be a legal monitor this weekend, please contact Claudia Guevara at 915-532-0921 or meet at the Farmworker's Center in El Paso (210 E. Ninth Ave.). We will have a training for those who have not yet received the training. There will be a group heading out towards the Fabens/Ft. Hancock area and another towards Columbus/Hachita in NM.
  

Next week is SNEEJ's 5th annual Unidos sin Fronteras rally at the border.

What: Fifth Annual Border Wide Mobilizations of the SO Network
When: Saturday, October 8, 2005 @ 12:00 p.m.
Where: See below

MEETING AREAS FOR ACTION:
NEW MEXICO/CHIHUAHUA
El Paso/Cd. Juarez
Saturday, October 8
Cipriana Jurado 011-52-6566244993
Tomasita Gonzales (505) 247-8832

TEXAS/COAHUILA / TAMAULIPAS
Eagle Pass/Piedras Negras
Saturday, October 8
Rubén Solís (210) 299-2666
Petra Mata (210) 927-2294

ARIZONA / SONORA
Nogales/Nogales
Saturday, October 8
Kathryn Rodríguez (520) 770-1373
Nogales Infantil 011-52-6313124091

CALIFORNIA/BAJA CALIFORNIA
Sacramento
Saturday, October 8
José Bravo (619) 838-6694
Martha Rocha 011-52-6646305915
Sandra Mejía Soto 011-52-8717620157

For more information, caravans, and/or a copy of the Border Manifesto,
Contact:
Southwest Network for Environmental and Economic Justice,
505-242-0416 info(at)sneej.org, or visit at www.sneej.org/manifesto.htm

minutemen
Immigration
race and class
racism
racist
unidos sin fronteras